Well I did it, I pre-ordered this title. I hated in one sense to legitimize the high cost of these releases but this title intrigued me. On top of that, this is the first to incorporate their newest vinyl formulation which seems to me to be close to the original JVC vinyl. According to Music Direct, the cost of the vinyl is 30% higher.? Anyway, it seems to be a classic title and this new formulation along with the fairly new process, it seemed to be THE choice for me to try it out.
I don't have but one copy for comparison and it's a re-issue. I found the sonics to be a joy. Frankly I was impressed. I read others saying it lacked bass. Not IMO. I wonder if they are comparing it to the other UD1S releases? My only complaint is sides one & two are off-center. Two is the main culprit.
@slaw my copy from MD arrived today, you must be special to get yours so early? I am very happy with mine (#2311). side 3 is so great, dynamic, staging is really good. I'm happy, you?
@tomic601, Ha! When I've been low on dough, I've had to choose between a couple of albums and a 5th of whiskey. I already have a lot of albums, so it can be a tough choice. An album is forever, a 5th only a few days ;-) .
@bdp24 Eric has a future in commission vinyl sales IF not politics....I have Old Enough on the way, near mint - ( claimed ) for about the cost of a glass of Olive Garden rot gut....omg, what value!!!!
I expect my nephews might speculate on the meaning of the album cover.....
i have # 1802 of 3000 of the Bill Evans, unopened awaiting the arrival and setup of Triplaner on the Bardo....OMG this vinyl is addictive after a 30 year hiatus.....
I have all of the MoFi one step pressings released so far and none of them are single sided. All of them are 45 rpm and each consists of two discs with music recorded on both sides of each disc, containing the music that was included on the original single disc recording.
@slaw I have both of those one step pressings and neither one is one sided. Also The Bill Evans album, Sunday at the The Village Vanguard. Also not singled sided. I don’t have Santana’s Abraxas. They sell out very quickly. But none that I’m aware of are single sided. I know the ones I have are not.
I have a number of the MOFI Ultradisc One Step Pressings by MFSL, none of them are one sided. I do have Something Else-Canonnball Adderly and a John Coltrane album that are 45 rpm and one one sided but the one step pressings are not one sided. I preordered the Marvin Gaye and the Stevie Ray Vaughn albums. I’m not expecting those to be one sided either. Both albums I already own but I won’t pass the new versions up.
Ha! Actually Steve, I intended my comments about the production and engineering to address that issue. But now that you mention it, Tom Dowd’s engineering (including his work with The Stones and others) is good in terms of the field he worked in---mass consumer entertainment. It’s not at the level of audiophile engineers, but then most audiophile recordings are of mediocre music. Seems like you almost never get it all!
An album Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd did together (in Muscle Shoals) that DOES have much better than average sound quality is Lou Ann Barton’s Old Enough. Great songs, and the fantastic singing of Lou Ann, who now often tours with Jimmie Vaughan. She came out of the Austin scene, and was in early versions of both The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Double Trouble, i.e. early Stevie Ray Vaughan. Glenn Frey executive produced the album, one of all-time favorites.
I need two characteristics of a recording be present for me to consider spending big bucks on a new reissue---music that I don’t just like, but love, and the original recorded sound quality be sufficiently high to justify a superior remastering and pressing. Aretha’s Gold certainly fulfills both those criteria! Great songs, great singing, great production by Jerry Wexler, good engineering by Tom Dowd (there is a great documentary film about him, and a book) and the musicianship of the Muscle Shoals musicians, i.e. The Swampers. The original Atlantic Records pressing is nothing to write home about, so the new reissue is now at the top of my "Buy" list.
@slaw - I didn't meant to condemn the title and apologize if that's how my post read. I intended to convey that generally, I have not found most of the Motown/Tamla vinyl to sound very good, and the copy of this I do have- which was given to me as a gift--sounds OK, but seems to lack bass. As to paying large bucks for any record, my thinking is I'll shell out if I really care for the music and want to pursue the best sonic representation. My comments about incremental improvements were really about my buying habits at this point-- I'd rather search out new to me music than keep buying the same records as they are continually reissued. The exception of course is a record that I really like---
You just posed one of the reasons I bought this title. First, I own only one copy. I’ve never spent one minute of my time searching out this title. (The fact that I rarely go to the Hoffman forums , is a bonus for me)
Your system is very revealing , I’m sure. Having taken in your above response, it is important for most of us to understand that fact and relate it to our systems.
Cheers!
You currently post the cost of the records you like that (I assume you own) that you've paid hundreds of dollars for, so your mild condemnation of this particular title has me somewhat confused?
The proof will be in the listening. I’ve never had great experience with the sonics of the Motown/Tamla releases- the best sounding ones were cut by Kent Duncan in my experience. Many sounded wooly and muffled. One of the best of the Stevie Wonders was the Musiquarium - a compilation album. (My recollection is that SWonder has possession of the original masters, not the label). I do have a copy of What’s Going On- it is a reissue, possibly from the ’80s that was given to me-- apparently the ’forum fav’ on Hoffman. It has a noticeable lack of bass, having heard this copy on several different systems. There are also different mixes of this album. I think you really have to like the music to spring for hundred dollar records. I pre-ordered a UHQR and a one step a little while ago to see what the fuss is about, having not purchased any of them (I had a UHQR of Tea from the old days of MoFi that was quite dramatic, but preferred the sound of the original UK Island pressings). I know these are different critters. No criticism intended to those who spring for these if it is something you enjoy. I’d rather spend my money on music I don’t have, rather than buying and rebuying every incremental "improvement" of the same record-- but if you like the music, I get why you’d re-buy.
I think the business term for this is "good business." The pre-orders sell out before they finish production, the quality is astounding, they keep trying to improve the process so the demand is high. This is just good business. I would much rather pay $125 for a mint/unplayed reissue with untouchable sound quality rather than $300-400 for a VG+ to Excellent copy of an original pressing any day of the week.
@slaw Hey, I don't think this Marvin Gaye (which I already ordered a copy of from my favorite local store) will be different than the Simon and Garfunkel one step in that it will be two-sided, not one-sided.
I have tried to find a good copy of this record in the last MFSL version for a while, that was not crazy scalper pricing, without a bunch of success so I am very stoked to have this one coming in as the S&G is amazing. I also have two copies of the Hendrix Axis (one mono and one stereo) on pre-order and can't wait for them to come in (they are UHQR pressings, different than the one steps).
Fyi, if'n anyone has an extra copy of The Nightfly One Step I have an extra sealed copy of S&G Bridge I will swap ya?
Wow $3 a minute. That album has been in heavy rotation this last week. There is a certain atmosphere and feel that surrounds it. Its just great music that was progressive. James Jamerson is an overlooked bass player. I have the German pressing of "Rumours" and its nothing short of fantastic. The MOFI version no doubt will be to die for. Keep us posted!
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